Something that always blows me away, though I've done it before myself, is when someone whips out their laptop in a class to take notes. While I am definitely a pen and paper kind of girl, typing is much faster for me and working on a computer makes it easier to reorganize thoughts and ideas. This idea of electronic note-taking reminds me not only of how much schools have changed with technology, but the world altogether. Laptops & tablets are often seen being used for note-taking and mind-mapping. These portable devices can easily fit in backpacks and can be accessed as the student needs them. While there may be the possibility of dead batteries, forgetting a charger, or trouble logging into wi-fi, electronics are the only option for many students who have retained much more when typing versus writing. An amazing balance of both types (paper & electronics) may even be found on some devices. The Galaxy Note phone series, for example, comes with a built in stylus that may be used for writing the old fashioned way while still always being ready for mashing away at those keys with your thumbs! I think this variety of ways to take notes may help students taking different types of courses. Math problems, for instance, might be done best on pen and paper while writing an essay can work best on a computer.
Wikipedia is another important topic from the reading. While I know it is open for anyone to edit and there may be tons of inaccurate or even made up information in its articles, I do tend to flock there for research needed outside of my academics. There are plenty of great sources within its articles and even links to more at the bottom of each page. What I love about this site is how the information is broken up into easy to understand sections that get right to the point. Information within an article, like this one about Disney World, links to related topics the reader might not know much about so that they may click to find out more about something that's even just briefly mentioned (like this article does with the individual theme parks, hotels, etc). While a great source of information at its core, Wikipedia has been discouraged many times to me before precisely because of its open-editing style, but it's important to check other sources no matter where I am getting my information from!
Many people outside the world of education probably think today's teachers have it so easy. Worksheets, classroom procedure signs, and even entire lesson plans are readily available to download online. But as we who are involved in this system very well know, it's how you present the information and deliver your words to students that will get them retaining and using course content. As the text states, using lesson plan sites with caution is definitely a good idea. There are plenty of sites, such as those developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (Maloy, pg 117) or even TeachersPayTeachers where one could easily get help with lesson plan building or finding; teachers just need to know where to look to provide adequate information to their students. So do teachers have it easier today with ready to download lesson plans? I say no! (For the most part!) Educators strive to improve their teaching skills so that their students may get the most from the experience. Teaching is much more of "What strategy should I use?" and "Will this work with this type of student?" than it is "Where can I download that?".
Resources:
Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.
The students in today's classrooms are really quite lucky with the technology available to them. Most likely the child has access to computers both at home and at school, resulting in information being obtained at any given point. Figure 3.1 on page 47 shows the five main areas of focus a student may use technology for learning: expressing creativity, thinking critically and solving problems, developing new literacies, communicating and collaborating, and building digital citizens. These areas are basic standards used throughout today's schools and help students prepare for the advancing technologies they may encounter next (Maloy, 2013). Each is an important factor that helps shape the student and further their individual collection of knowledge and may or may not be developed only through computer usage. Building digital citizens, of course, would be one only accessed through the use of technology but the others differ from their offline counterparts immensely (i.e. creating digital art is very different from say finger painting).
To me, student-centered instruction seems the most difficult to organize. I highly enjoy being active with the kids and showing them I am also doing my best. Stepping back and letting a class truly sink their teeth into the material in a way that seems 'non-traditional', however, also seems to me to be how my students might learn the most someday. If students feel welcome and as if they are truly the purpose of the activity, they will more likely to retain the information and dread disliked tasks less frequently. Giving the students something they can connect the lesson to will further their understanding of the content and help them build on that information later on.
Information literacy is a term I found interesting in this section. Knowing how to find, source, use, and interpret information is essential for enhancing learning. Students need to remember that not everything they read may be entirely true. I remember in high school learning of a website that was about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This site, instead of being informational and peaceful, actually bashes Dr. King and provided many racist remarks, links, and advertisements. While I can't remember the exact site, it was at one point the number one search result on Google, therefore, many researching this historical figure would flock to it right away only to find misinformation. This example shows just how important it is to be able to pick up on the publisher's point of view and how to avoid obtaining incorrect information.
This chapter has definitely furthered my understanding of some different teaching styles as well as some tech tools. I'm finding out about a lot of 'techy lingo' that I did not realize existed in the massive world of technology and am able to sort different types into categories because of it. Knowing what to look for and how to use it effectively will impact my ability to teach and grow the minds of my students.
Resources:
Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.
Information and communication technologies, or ICTs, are all broken down into three major parts. The first is the software on the device. Whether it be word processing programs or the card game Solitaire, computers are all equipped with software even before the user's initial log in. It's how we use these tools that can assist students with their learning. The second part is all that the miracle of the internet can bring to the device. Teachers are able to access, share, download, and much more via online capabilities, and many lessons may be utilized this way. The third is what other devices can be connected to enhance the experience further. Whether scanners, printers, or interactive white boards are connected, teachers can easily engage students with the many tools that can easily be connected with their computers. The more the teacher can do to keep the focus of students, the better! Students, for the most part, are children eager for some fun throughout their day. With tools like the Mimio pen, students may want to participate more than if they were just using Expo markers!
The second section that caught my interest is the section on the different types of technology users (sectioned titles as "Identifying Groups of Technology Users" in the book). It is probably very interesting to the generations that remember the onset of computers that there are so many ways to use these now essential to life machines. Within the many ways are the groups identified of the actual types of computer users based on what is actually being done. Digital collaborating is a huge part of the online world and can be used as informative or entertaining content (sometimes both!). The digital collaborator shares and receives information to use as they please, sometimes spending more time than others on social media or other interactive sites. This idea of having different types of computer users is so interesting in that it proves there will always be new ideas and room for a larger audience in anything. What was probably initially created to share information and to simplify calculations has become the most popular way today's generation communicates with one another - even when they are in the same room!
The third part of the text that I was most interested in was Figure 2.6 on page 34. This pie graph shows the percentages of moderate, frequent, infrequent, and sporadic usage of technology by teachers. It isn't so surprising that the teachers of today are divided up into these percentages (17%, 22%, 34%, and 26% respectively). I think the main source of difference here is the teacher's overall knowledge of technology. Older teachers, perhaps, might not know as much about a computer's capabilities as those who are fresh out of college. These teachers with little knowledge of today's technologies are far more likely to use the classroom tools provided to them than that of those more tech savvy. Some teachers, the 26% labeled 'sporadic users', are most likely using the everyday tools necessary in today's schools (outlook email, esembler, etc.). This repetition of usage increases the user's knowledge of the program, therefore not seeming as advanced for the teachers unfamiliar with other technologies.
To conclude, technology seems to have a lot of differences in usage and even users. The many types of programs and software can ultimately help anyone with anything if they know where to look and how to properly take advantage. The knowledge of computer users, while they do vary, can definitely grow as they become more exposed to it. The more you participate in something, even outside of technology, the better you will be at the process! But computer users need to stay aware that it goes both ways! Not keeping up with the newest updates or how-to's can decline a user's knowledge and will make it that much harder to catch up!
Right away, the text speaks of the iGeneration and of how these children have never lived a day without technology. While I'm in my eighth year working with children and know exactly how much electronics are a part of their lives, this section in particular still opened my eyes. Children today spend most of their time outside of school on computers or mobile devices and I am constantly hearing them reference Twitter, Vine, and other outlets of online recreation (Maloy, et all, 2013, p. 4). This growing interest in technology in youngsters shows just how important it is for teachers to1 use it whenever they can; whether it be inside the classroom or out! Sites such as ClassDojo and Edmodo are great for students and parents to keep track of progress while still leaving that important line of communication open. ClassDojo in particular gives students that element of fun they're so in need of in the elementary levels and can be used for various tasks throughout each school day.
Following behind the area of social media-type sites in the classroom is the actual usage of tablets, mobile phones, and laptops by the students. These two areas may not always go hand in hand, but there are various times when they could. When observing a middle school classroom for my Intro to Teaching course, I was introduced to Kahoot!. This fast-paced quiz program has a gaming atmosphere to it that allows students to buddy up and have some friendly competition based on course material. The actual usage of devices, as I saw that week, is very inviting to children in today's world. Along with the learning, reviewing, and quizzing that may be done through them, I think it is also important for students to be able to mix in their personal lives (i.e. the allowance of bringing in and using their beloved devices) and interests with their learning.
Lastly, the section about technology-based offices really caught my eye! This school year I have started working in a school library and use many different computer programs a day. Constantly, I am sending out mass emails to teachers for a multitude of reasons. The option of grouping school staff members together speeds along the process of delivering grade-specific news and allows me to return to the busy life of the media center (for example, making an email group of only the second grade teachers allows me to quickly notify them of something without having to look up each individual email address). For my current school position, the most important office management program used in the library is of course the book checkout system, Destiny. This record-keeping program lets me know who has what book, when it should be returned, and if it has been put on hold by another student. I can't imagine running the media center without Destiny! It is the ultimate way of keeping track of everything and has probably saved us a forest of trees by not having to leave sticky notes everywhere to let each other know who and what to look for! While I know this will not be used in my future classroom, it is a great reminder of how important record-keeping is for any school staff member. I will be documenting grades, attendance, and progress on a daily basis someday and need to continue perfecting that vital trait of organization to successfully run my classroom.
To conclude, technology is simply everywhere a child looks and should definitely be used in their schoolwork. There are so many programs that can be used to keep students engaged while retaining interest in what they are doing and learning. Keeping track of progress is essential not only for the student, but for their teachers and families. School might not always be a child's favorite part of life, but it does take up the majority of their time. This alone is motivation enough for me to continue researching the newest classroom technologies so that my future students can expand their minds while also having an element of fun.
Resources
Effective Marking For Small Businesses (2013, September 25). Social Media Statistics 2013. Retrieved September 6, 2015, from https://youtu.be/sd9NZq6H7IM
Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.
